Cooper's Hawk
SourceI looked out my kitchen window about 9:00 this morning and saw a Cooper's Hawk having breakfast. He was taking apart a pigeon, a favorite meal for Cooper's Hawks here in town. Cooper's Hawks often dine on Inca Dove, White Winged Dove, Ringed Turtle Dove and Morning Dove, all of which inhabit the desert here in New Mexico. But, the pigeons are slower than the dove and fatter. They make a fine meal and are easier to catch.
The local birder's association tells me that there is a pair of Cooper's Hawks or a pair of Sharp Shinned Hawks in every park in Albuquerque. I would not be surprised as I see them frequently hunting near the bird feeders around the neighborhood.
From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper%27s_Hawk):
The average size of an adult male ranges from 220 to 410 g (7.8 to 14 oz) with a length between 35 and 46 cm (14 and 18 in). The adult male is significantly smaller than the average female, which weigh 330 to 700 g (12 to 25 oz) and measure 42 to 50 cm (17 to 20 in) long. Its wingspan ranges from 62 to 94 cm (24 to 37 in).[3][4] Individuals living in the eastern regions, where the sexes average 349 g (12.3 oz) and 566 g (20.0 oz), tend to be larger and heavier than those in the western regions, where the respective sexes average 280 g (9.9 oz) and 440 g (16 oz).[5] Cooper's Hawks have short rounded wings, the wing chord measuring 21.4–27.8 cm (8.4–10.9 in) long, and a relatively long tail, 17–20.5 cm (6.7–8.1 in) long, with dark bands,
I didn't have a good vantage point for a photograph, so I called my neighbor and had her look out her window into my yard. She took several photos before the hawk flew away with the pigeon in tow. This Cooper's Hawk is an immature. A mature Cooper's Hawk has red eyes while an immature has yellow eyes.
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A cooper's hawk going after some sparrows.
The Cooper's Hawk can be used for sport, too. Here is a video of a Cooper's Hawk and his handler. This video gives you an idea how big the Cooper's Hawk really is. They are a fairly large bird of prey.
Here is a video with audio so you can hear what their song sounds like. Not the handsome song of a song bird, is it?
Cooper's Hawk with sound.
